Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-born American mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime and the mastermind of the massive postwar expansion of the international heroin trade. He was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family. He was, along with his associate Meyer Lansky, instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate...
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Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-born American mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime and the mastermind of the massive postwar expansion of the international heroin trade. He was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family. He was, along with his associate Meyer Lansky, instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States.
Time magazine named Luciano among the top 20 most influential builders and titans of the 20th century.
Salvatore Lucania was born to Antonio and Rosalia (Cafarella) Lucania, he had 4 siblings: Bartolomeo (born 1890), and Giuseppe (born 1898), Filippia (born 1901), and Concetta (born 1903) in Lercara Friddi, Sicily, a town primarily known for its sulfur mines. The promise of a better life led his family to emigrate to the United States in 1907. Upon arriving at Ellis Island, young Salvatore was diagnosed with smallpox,...
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